Legends Report - Inspirational News

By James Mills, Associate Partner & Mentorship Coach, Lighthouse International

Yesterday, Bill and Melinda Gates published their annual letter reporting the progress made by their foundation. This year the letter was personally addressed to their close friend, Warren Buffett, who gave $30 billion to the foundation back in 2006, the biggest single gift by anyone to anyone else, ever! Mr Buffett wrote a letter in December to invite the founders to reflect on where they've been and where they're going in their philanthropic efforts. The letter in response is definitely an epic read, but well worth the time invested!

The introduction of the letter to Warren Buffett summed up the focus on the foundation and also set the scene for defining what success means to Bill and Melinda Gates.

"Dear Warren,

Ten years ago, when we first got word of your gift to the foundation, we were speechless. It was the biggest single gift anyone ever gave anybody for anything.

We knew we owed you a fantastic return on your investment.

Of course, philanthropy isn’t like business. We don’t have sales and profits to show you. There’s no share price to report. But there are numbers we watch closely to guide our work and measure our progress.

Our goals are shared by many other organisations working to save and improve lives. We’re all in this together. So most of the numbers we look at don’t focus just on how we as a foundation are doing, but on how the world is doing—and how we see our role.

Warren, your gift doubled the foundation’s resources. It’s allowed us to expand our work in US education, support smallholder farmers, and create financial services for the poor. But in this letter, we’re going to tell you about our work in global health—because that was the starting point of our philanthropy, and it’s the majority of what we do.

We’ll tell the story through the numbers that drive our work."

Because there are a lot of challenges to address, Mr & Mrs Gates see their foundation as more of a catalyst for solving global issues; bringing together the people and resources required. They see they can't solve problems all by themselves and so recognise the importance of collaborating effectively with the most capable people and organisations in the world. This is summed up by Melinda Gates towards the very end of the letter;

"...we have not used your money just to send a grant here and a grant there. We’ve been using it to build an ecosystem of partners that shares its genius to improve lives and end disease."

Actress Halle Berry may not be someone who you'd think of as having a very challenging upbringing. However, the reality is she was raised by a single mother and experienced teasing and bullying at her nearly all-white school.

As a keynote speaker at the City Gala this year, an event that’s all about entrepreneurship and creating a brighter future through charity, Ms Berry spoke about the important life lessons she's learnt through these challenges:

1. Connect opportunity with passion

“I try to figure out what opportunities I have and what I’m good at.”

Ms Berry points out that purpose for her comes in the form of service, as she is passionate about making a difference to women who have suffered, or are suffering from, domestic violence:

“It’s my life’s work getting women to talk about it.”

2. Find a mentor, then become one

Halle Berry spoke about her growing up as a 'latchkey kid' as her mother was always working to provide for the children. She mentions how her former fifth-grade teacher supported her:

“She filled me with worth and value.”

In return Ms Berry mentored several young people herself over the years:

“I’ve always known how important that is.”

3. Be grateful for your mistakes

She also spoke openly about making mistakes in her relationships and said:

“Those relationships provided me with lessons that got me to where I am right now. For that, I’m grateful.”

The Laureus World Sports Awards are like the Oscars of sport and were held in glamorous Monte Carlo on Tuesday 14th February. Unlike the Oscars though, the Laureus awards are dedicated to 'using the power of sport as a tool for social change'. This mission was inspired by the first Patron of the Laureus awards, none other than Nelson Mandela who said:

"Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”

Laureus projects operate in more than 150 countries and have helped over 500,000 young people in 2016. Beyond the glitz and the glamour of the likes of Usain Bolt, Simone Biles and Nico Rosberg collecting awards, there is a meaningful mission that brings many of the greatest sports stars in the world together. It's proof that with success comes a responsibility to give back. Here are some of the highlights from this year's awards:

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My passion is education because I feel that so many more people would be able to lead happier, more successful and fulfilling lives if we all had access to a more inspiring education system. Working with a great team to make a positive impact on preparing the next generation is what drives me.

As an Associate Partner at Lighthouse International and Co-Founder of Lighthouse Kidz I am committed to developing my ability to bring together emerging leaders and social entrepreneurs to make a positive difference in the world. Presently I’m working on a variety of initiatives such as bringing together the people, expertise and resources to ensure that everyone has access to clean water.